Drought Conditions
by thelandofthenutty
Summary: “Its a tiny cut, a bruise on your cheek, and why on earth would you pummel him at all? Oh, remember that night years ago where you let my stupid assistant off the hook- whack! Oh and by the way, I hate you because you took the job that I left- whack!" D/J


**A/N: Again, I am merely satisfying my ridiculous reaction fetish, but what can you do? This is a post ep for drought conditions. Hope you like it. Reviews make me incredibly warm and fuzzy. **

**Toodles, Jess x**

"Are you alright?" she whispered, only the corner of her mouth opening, only her voice showing her concern, as she swept up next to him, her dress brushing his knees, and no other part of them connecting. He glanced at her, sideways.

"Sure." he said, although his higher than normal pitch betrayed him. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"You have a bruised cheek, you're walking funny, and I'll bet that if I touched your left arm you'd scream like a little girl, you're holding it funny."

"I've been told that I always walk with a certain swagger-ow ow ow!" Donna had grabbed Josh's arm, though lightly, and he was now cringing in pain.

"I got into a fight." he whispered back, letting her lead him out of the room and down the hall, until they came to an empty closet.

"You like the closets, don't you Miss Moss?" he said, putting on a voice, and a brave facade, until she tilted her head to one side, the door closing, and made him crumble.

"I cant believe you fought him." she said, giving him a sympathetic glance. He softened. This wasn't the reaction he had been expecting. She looked almost as if she were about to cry.

"Well he made me mad. I know I shouldn't have."

"Its just a job Josh, and as much as you don't like him he is simular to you in many ways. I can see why you'd be mad, I know you don't trust him, but-"

"Its not that I don't trust him, I did! I just...I don't anymore, I suppose."

"You never have Josh, it's alright, I don't blame you, I don't either, but he's good at what he does, and he saved all our arses on occasion, and you were the one who left-"

"Hark whose talking-"

"Josh!" Donna took a deep breathe, and then controlled herself. "I just cant believe you fought! As in throwing punches. Neither of you is the type. I mean who even threw the first punch?" she asked, hardly expecting an answer. Josh slid down the wall, so that he was sitting on the ground, dejected, his hands clutching at his hair, his elbows rested on his knees.

"Toby did."

Donna's eyebrow quirked, and her eyes became wide. Wow had she been off the mark.

"Toby?" she stared at him, as though he were an idiot. "Why did you fight Toby?"

Josh looked up, and stared back at her.

"Why do I get the impression that we're no longer having the same conversation?"

"You fought Toby?" She asked, sitting down next t him. Immensely confused, Josh nodded, and refused to meet her eye.

"He was working with Rafferty, he gave me all this bullshit...about loyalty, and about everything falling apart, and about how you don't just give up and walk out- as if I didn't get all of this anyway. As if I hadn't been thinking it everyday since Christmas."

Donna seized up, but, deciding to push past it, she swallowed back tears, and placed a hand on his right arm.

"He wasn't talking about you Josh. The fight wasn't about you." Josh finally looked up at her, and then softened, his brow furrowing in realisation. "It had nothing to do with you. It was about David. You're the closest thing he has to a brother Josh. David's gone and Sam is on the other side of the country."

Sighing, Josh let his head fall back onto the wall, and sniffed back any emotion he had been considering showing. Then he shifted slightly, and looked back at Donna.

"Who were you talking about?"

"What?" she asked, obviously practising diversionary tactics.

"Before. You weren't talking about Toby. You didn't know I'd fought him. Who were you talking about?"

"Its nothing, we don't have to talk about it now, I don't think it'd be best...CJ can tell you."

"Donna!" he pleaded, staring at her with peircing eyes. She deflated.

"They hired a new Deputy Chief of Staff today." she explained, cringing slightly, watching him carefully.

"That's fine! I've been gone for a while now, I was surprised they hadn't already. Really its a show of faith in me, the fact that my guy hasn't flunked out ye- wait. Who got the job? We know them, if you thought Id be beating them up."

"Oh we don't know them. Don't worry. I don't think you would have even met...has a republican, so-"

"No."

"Josh, don't get all."

"You cant fool me Donna, he stuck out in there, he was the only republican in the room!"

"Josh, I don't think you should get mad about this, its not like you have to work with him."

"Cliff _Caley?"_

"He's not a bad guy Josh."

"Oh ok." he said, sarcastically.

"Has not!"

"Do I have to remind you about-"

"That was my stupidity, not him being cruel."

"Donna, he shouldn't have done that, he could have just let it go, what was going to be in there that would have been important. He's right up there on the people I cant stand list, right between Heathcliff and Commander Wonderful, and neither of them rate very highly."

"So your people I cant stand list is really just a list of anyone I ever dated?" she asked, amused.

"You do have impeccably bad taste."

"I'll say" she muttered, staring at him. Josh fell silent.

"If I didn't have a cut the size of the grand canyon on my arm or a black eye Id go in there and pummel him right now you know." he told her, to rolled eyes.

"Its a tiny cut, a bruise on your cheek, and why on earth would you pummel him at all? Oh, remember that night years ago where you let my stupid assistant off the hook- whack! Oh and by the way, I hate you because you took the job that I left- whack! Then you take the craziest man of the year award away from the guy who eats his own hair and talks to his sock puppets."

Josh couldn't help it. He smiled a little.

"What?" she asked, suddenly feeling self conscious. "What!"

"He lost that title a couple of weeks ago to this beautiful woman fighting a chicken on CNN. OW!"

Donna had swatted his left arm, and then stood up, grinning, and holding out a hand for him to stand as well.

"We're going back to the party. You are not going to beat up Cliff. If it weren't for the press corp Id be making you dance with me."

"Be a nice symbol of party unity?"

"Nice try. I'll see you after the convention." she stopped, just before they entered the party, and grabbed his good arm. "Go be nice to Toby."

Josh nodded, and, it was with a dimpled grin on his face and a swagger filled limp that he ambled back into the party.


End file.
